


Sticks and Stones

by Arisprite



Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Genre: Apologies, Brownies, Gen, Hugs, Movie Night, Todd getting better at reading Dirk, beauty and the beast parallels, revisiting some conversations from canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-10-19 17:44:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10644882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arisprite/pseuds/Arisprite
Summary: "He's not the Monster, Gaston. You are!"Todd notices something about Dirk, while watching Beauty and the Beast, and it prompts a conversation they should have had a long time ago.





	Sticks and Stones

It came up, of all times, while they were watching a Disney movie. Todd’s apartment was crowded, and Todd was on the couch pressed between Dirk, and one of the Rowdy 3 (which was nerve wracking for a while, until he started tearing up when Belle and the Beast danced across the ballroom). Farah and Amanda were on the floor, in a loose pile of limbs with the other three Rowdies, as Amanda liked to call them, and everyone was captivated by the story of Beauty and the Beast (the cartoon, not the new one with the creepy CGI clocks)

They were close to the end, and Dirk had been engrossed in the story so far (it seemed he hadn’t seen it since he was a child, and his memories of before Black Wing were vague). Todd had seen this movie a lot (it had been his repeat movie from ages five to seven) and so was kind of spacing; halfway watching it, and halfway watching Dirk’s reactions.

Dirk was a reactive movie watcher, as anyone might have guessed. He gasped, and widened his eyes in the scary parts, and laughed uproariously in the funny ones. Dirk would cry for any emotion if he was invested enough in the story, and his funny hunches didn’t work on fiction, so he could never predict what was going to happen. Quite frankly, it was adorable, and Todd had begun picking movies from Netflix and Redbox often to witness it more. 

That was how he noticed Dirk go still, his eyes no longer following the movements on the screen, but staring somewhere in the middle distance. 

Todd frowned, and paid attention enough to recognize what part it was at. 

“If I didn’t know better,” Gaston crowed from the tv. “I’d say you have feelings for the monster.” 

Belle, of course replied that Gaston was the monster, and not the Beast, but that didn’t seem to reassure Dirk. He was still staring off into space, a faint frown lingering between his brows. Todd elbowed him, and he started. 

“You okay?” Todd whispered, and Dirk gave a jerky nod. 

“Fine, I’m fine,” he said, turning his eyes back to the screen. He watched the rest of the movie the same as always, seemingly forgetting about the strange moment. Todd watched him, eyes narrowed but unsure. There was something still bothering him, and he couldn’t let it go. 

After the movie was over (and Dirk had clapped with tears in his eyes at the kiss) Dirk stood. 

“Well, I’ve got a little surprise in the kitchen. You see, I had a hunch that everyone would come over today, and there was this perfect box of brownie mix in that care package we got from the neighbors, you remember, Todd? As a thank you for finding that missing armadillo? Phew, what a mess!” 

The guests gave their general noises of agreement about the brownies, if mixed with a little trepidation and confusion from Farah about the story there, and Dirk trotted off to the kitchen. Todd still felt a smidge of unease in his stomach, and so stood as well. 

“I’m going to go help him.” 

Amanda looked up at him, upside down with her head on Farah’s belly. 

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea…” Todd frowned at her, unsure if she too had picked up his weird mood, or if she just meant because of Dirk’s usual prowess in the kitchen. Which was to say, not much. 

In the kitchen, Dirk was removing a baking pan (that he was sure he didn’t own) from the top of the fridge, and lifting the foil with a wince. 

“Ah, Todd,” he said, shoving the covering back over the brownie pan. “I baked them today while you were out getting the movies, and I did follow the instructions to a T, but I believe something went wrong…” 

Dirk held the pan out, and Todd peeled back the foil gingerly, unsure if he’d find it oozing green slime, or crawling with ants, or just blackened to a crisp. The true inspection showed it was closer to the third option, but they did look edible. 

“I think they’re alright,” Todd said. “Brownies are supposed to be that color.” 

Dirk’s whole body deflated, and he sighed in relief. 

“Oh, do you really think so?” 

Todd smiled, and it felt only somewhat tight. “Sure.” 

Dirk set the pan down with a flourish, and began rummaging in Todd’s kitchen drawers, again, finding utensils that not only did Todd not own, but that no one could ever conceivably need to cut brownies. Dirk slipped a spoon into his jacket, before finding an a knife and beginning to cut the squares out. Well, they were some sort of polygons. 

“Dirk?” Todd said, before he’d fully processed what he was going to say. But there really was something bothering him. Call it a hunch, but it was something about what Gaston had said… 

Oh. 

_Monster._

He’d said that to him, back in their first case. _You’re a monster_ , he’d said, heartbroken that Dirk had held back that information, when Todd had spilled his worst secrets to him not hours before. They’d never really talked about it afterwards, but Todd had said some terrible shit to him, and a shirt was only halfway to an apology. 

“Yes, Todd?” Dirk said, turning with the pan in his hands, and an expectant look on his face. It morphed a little into worry when he looked Todd over, concern widening his eyes, and poking up the points of his eyebrows. “What’s the matter?” 

Todd flapped his hands a little, standing awkwardly in the kitchen as he tried to formulate something that might address his thoughts, and his assumptions about Dirk’s thoughts, and a big messy tangle of feelings about that first case, all without making anyone worry or get upset. 

“I-, I dunno. Are you okay?” 

Dirk’s concern morphed again into confusion, all with a few facial ticks. 

“Of course,” he said, almost with a question. “I’m sure the brownies will be fine, Todd. I’m not that concerned over them, and you know the Rowdy 3 will eat anything, so at least we can be sure that there won’t be leftovers. It’s always sad when there are brownies leftover, and no one eats them, don’t you think-?” 

Todd pointed at him. “See, that’s what I mean!” Todd said, neglecting to acknowledge the fact that he hadn’t said anything of his thought process out loud. “You’re being weird, and it’s not just about brownies.” 

“Weird? Todd, I-” 

“And you got all quiet when Gaston called the Beast a monster, and I didn’t mean it back then, you know that, right?” 

Dirk was staring, still holding that stupid brownie pan. His face was flooded with shock. 

“How did y-” Dirk coughed, “Todd, you- I, I know that, of course I do,” he stammered, and Todd stood helplessly trying to think of what to say. Dirk still looked floored. Todd took a step forward, taking a deep breath. 

“I said a lot of shit back then. People had been trying to kill us for like a whole week, and I spilled my guts to you, and I was hurt and upset that you had still kept stuff back, but none of that excuses the way I treated you. I’m sorry.” 

Todd closed his mouth, trying not to breath too quickly. The words had spilled out far more eloquently than he’d expected, but now he was trying to hold back a panic attack, having gotten through it. He waited for Dirk’s reaction, watching his shocked face resolve into a touched and knowing expression. 

“Of course I understand all that, Todd,” Dirk said, his voice soft. “I forgave you a long time ago.” 

“Still, I-” Todd flailed his hands again. “I shouldn’t have, I mean, I’m sorry I called you a monster. You’re not. You’re not at all, you’re _crazy_ and I don’t know how to do half the stuff you do. But you help people. You _save_ people. Things go batshit more often than not, and you are always pulling something nuts out of your ass to save everyone, something that no one in a million years would think of, that solves the case, but that just makes you amazing. Not even close to a monster.”

Dirk’s eyes were wet, and he slowly reached over with the brownie pan, and set it carefully down on the counter. Then his hands reached for Todd, and clasped him around his neck. It was a tight squeeze, like Dirk was unpracticed at giving hugs, and with that terribly sad thought, Todd threw himself into the embrace, wrapping his arms around the thin shoulders. 

“Hey! You guys making out in there, or what? We want brownies!” Amanda yelled from the other room, and there was a general yell of agreement, followed by a suspicious smash (his poor lamp) and Farah scolding whoever had done it. Dirk and Todd pulled away from each other with a laugh. 

“We’re coming!” Todd called, and picked up the brownie pan. Dirk looked relaxed, softly smiling at him. Todd’s face heated a little. “What?” 

“Thank you, Todd,” Dirk said, his smile widening. Todd half shrugged, and hefted the pan. 

“Well, shall we get these out to them.” 

Dirk nodded. “Yes, let’s,” he said, and led the way out into the living room.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thank you for the response to the other short stories I've put up. I hope you like this one too! I'd really like to write something longer as well, so I'm brainstorming ideas, but if anyone has any thoughts on what they'd like to see, please let me know :)


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